Abu Azrael is the commander of the Kataib al-Imam Ali, an Iraqi Shia militia group fighting Isis in Iraq.

November 29, 2015 18:33 IST

An Iraqi Shia fighter, revered by locals as "Rambo" and dubbed the "angel of death", has reportedly killed at least 1,500 Islamic State (Isis) terrorists.

Ayyub Faleh al-Rubaie, the Iraqi shia fighter, is more popularly known by his nom de guerre Abu Azrael, which means the "Angel of Death" in Arabic.

According to a report in Dailystar.co.uk, "even Rambo would be proud of Azrael's record of 1,500 kills".

The 40-year-old former Iraqi Taekwondo champion is the commander of the Kataib al-Imam Ali, an Iraqi Shia militia group of the Popular Mobilisation Forces that is fighting Isis in Iraq.

With his thick beard and fearsome axe, Abu Azrael is the poster boy of the Iraqi Shia brigade and the most recognisable faces among the Iraqi forces fighting Isis.

The Iraqi Shia fighter also enjoys a loyal fan following on Facebook, where he has half a million supporters.

In August, the Iraqi Rambo had appeared in a video in which he was shown slicing the flesh of an Isis fighter. Azrael, who is known for his "ferocity on the battlefield", is seen holding a sword by the blackened corpse of an Isis terrorist.

According to Al-Jazeera, he says to the camera: "They sent their elite fighters they said, and look at the third one we got. Isis, this will be your fate, we will cut you like shawarma." In the footage, he is seen carving out a chunk out of the flesh of the dead Isis fighter.

Nicknamed the "father of archangel of death" in Arabic, Abu Azrael once used to be a university lecturer, who left his home in June 2014 to fight against Isis, according to The Daily Mail.